What is goblin mode? Meaning of post-pandemic lethargic experience explained 

After two years of staying indoors, taking zoom call meetings, and wearing ties over shirts with pajamas, people have entered a phenomenon called "goblin mode."

After vaccinations and lowering the number of COVID fatalities, many are excited to go back to their pre-pandemic life of cafes, clubs, and vacations.

However, many have come to enjoy their lives of working from home and binging on Netflix. The lack of socialization has also made people not care about being presentable, giving them a break from the constant pressure of looking attractive and put together.

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Goblin mode started trending in February 2022

According to Wikipedia:

"A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous creature, described as a grotesquely evil. They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. It also is a creature famous for its unattractive appearance."

The term goblin mode has been around the internet since 2009, when it described traits similar to goblin behavior, like collecting trinkets, being mischievous, or making goblin-like noises. However, it recently rose in popularity in February 2022, after an altered fake quote by Julia Fox went viral on social media.

Fox later clarified that she had not used the word, but that didn't dampen the clout the word had already received.

Story uploaded by Fox sharing that she has never used the term (Image via @hungu1995/Twitter)

According to numerous users on the internet, a person in goblin mode stops caring about their presentation, accepts laziness, and enjoys unhealthy snacking for a short period of time.

Dave McNamee, a Twitter user, explained the mode to The Guardian. He said:

“Goblin mode is like when you wake up at 2 am and shuffle into the kitchen wearing nothing but a long T-shirt to make a weird snack, like melted cheese on saltines."

McNamee added:

"It’s about a complete lack of aesthetic. Because why would a goblin care what they look like? Why would a goblin care about presentation?”

His tweet, where a cat is sluggishly trying to eat its food from the bowl while making a mess, went viral in February, gaining over 50k likes.

Another user, Juniper, shared her views on the trend by saying:

“Goblin mode is kind of the opposite of trying to better yourself. I think that’s the kind of energy that we’re giving going into 2022 – everyone’s just kind of wild and insane right now.”

Many believe this trend is a reverse paradox for early pandemic trends, where people spent the first few weeks of their quarantine working to better themselves. Trends like home workouts, cottagecore, and healthy snacking were some of the top trends during that time when people expected the pandemic to last for a couple of weeks.

But, after two years of living inside, many have decided to choose comfort over everything else. Other words that can represent similar behavior include couch potato, sofa spud, lazy bones, etc.

According to the Urban Dictionary, the viral term has another meaning where it represents a s*xual act. This article does not cover that meaning.